“Well, Faith, I'm not most men. I have two sisters and five nieces between them. I have lots of experience.” She stares into his eyes and longs to stroke the rough texture of his dark beard. Her eyes fall to his full lips, and she wonders if he tastes as good as he looks. Shocked at the path her thoughts are taking, she blushes and fusses with the baby tucking her blankets tight around her small body.
He chuckles and moves around to drive. This will be an interesting day.
They spend the day laughing, and Solomon is happy to take her to the beach. After a shared lunch, they are packing up, and Faith sighs. “Solomon, thank you for a lovely day. I shall not forget it anytime soon. The ocean is so beautiful! It makes me wish for my easel!”
He looks at her, “Do you paint, Faith?”
“I do.” She blushes and wonders how much to tell him. In a few days, they will go their separate ways, and she will probably never see him again, so why not. “I sketch and then use the sketches to transfer my ideas in paint. In fact, I brought some of my art with me. I'm going to try to sell them.”
His smile grows wider at the revelation. “You are full of surprises, Faith. Now you will have to show them to me.” He says, stretching and beginning to pack up.
“We will see about that,” she says, tossing her long red hair over her shoulder and tucking the baby inside her cape.
“I should get you two back to the house. I have a meeting at the bank this afternoon to discuss the new job.” He tucks a blanket over her lap and looks up at her with a grin, “Can I take you to dinner tonight?”
Looking down into his eyes, she wishes she could say yes, but she knows she shouldn't. Her eyes drop, and she looks away, “I really shouldn't take her out where there are large crowds, Solomon, but I do thank you.”
His hand touches hers, “I will bring dinner to you then. Say yes, Faith. I hate to eat alone. I have a month before my job starts so you would be doing me a favor.”
Looking into his handsome face, she hears herself saying, “Why not? I would be thankful for the company.”
“Excellent. While I am out, I will ask Mr. Wells about the best art galleries. You will be selling them by Friday!” he says climbing up next to her.
After dropping them off, he heads straight to the bank.
“Solomon, come on back. I have the paperwork ready for you to sign. You are bringing the same crew this time, right?” Harry asks.
“Yes, sir, it will take a little bit to get the equipment we need to the site. It is rough territory, but the nitroglycerin will make quick work of it. I have a shipment coming in on Friday by steamboat. We will store it here until you say otherwise.”
“Excellent. I say the sooner, the better. We don't want to give them a chance to cause any more problems. You be here Friday night, around 10:30. I will pay you, and we can store the crates to take to the site. I would like to see about making it on site. I have a man coming in to talk about the possibility. It is much less dangerous than traveling with the stuff.” Harry slides the papers to Solomon.
“I’ll be here. I agree it would be easier than traveling with that stuff.” He pauses and looks up at his friend, “Harry, this is going to be my last job. I am going back to Texas.” Solomon quickly signs the papers and pushes them back to his friend. His smile stretches ear to ear.
“Does this have anything to do with a female?” Harry replies.
“As a matter of fact, it does. I was hoping you could suggest some art galleries in town. It seems she has some pieces to sell.”
“Of course.” He quickly writes down the names of three galleries. “Mention my name, and they will give you a good deal. Now I'm intrigued.”
They walk out together, and Solomon responds, “I will tell you how it goes on Friday when you pay me.”
Solomon happily pushes his way through the crowds on Market Street oblivious to any that may be watching him. The first order of business is to figure out dinner for tonight, then he will head to the general store.
Aiden is just leaving the bar across the street from the general store when he sees the large blonde man. If it weren't for his size, he probably would have missed him. Excited, he follows him, determined to make him pay for the loss of his gun. He watches as he enters the Wells bank and then waits patiently for him to exit.
Solomon heads to the general store where he buys a sketch pad, paints, oil and watercolor, and a bag to carry them in. “Can you wrap that for me, Mrs. Chou?” he asks slipping her an extra coin.
“Only for you, handsome.” She slips the coin in her pocket and wraps it in brown paper and ties it with a brown cord.
“Mrs. Chou where can I get a romantic dinner for two? Surely your husband spoils you?” Solomon wonders.
“You leave my wife alone, pretty boy!” Mr. Chou yells from the other side of the counter and waves his broom at Solomon.
“Now, Mr. Chou I’ve been shopping here for years, in all that time she just gets prettier and prettier. What’s the secret?” he asks, laughing at the look of pride in the
